Opinion

Summer's page turner

Nashoba Publishing

Posted:
09/06/2013 07:35:41 AM EDT

The unofficial end of summer ushered in a spirit of cleansing to Beacon Hill last week, a chance to clear the decks, tie up loose ends and look ahead to an immediate future pocked with 2014 table setters.

We're talking about you, Charlie Baker. And you too, Martha Coakley, Mike Capuano and Dan Wolf. But more on them later.

It started with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino who triumphantly announced the end to prolonged and private negotiations with Suffolk Downs and Caesars Entertainment. The newly inked host community agreement with the city would deliver, at a minimum, $32 million a year to Boston if developers win the right to build a casino in the shadow of Logan Airport.

With a similar deal announced days later with Revere, Suffolk Downs has promised scores of goodies for the residents of East Boston and Revere provided they sign off later this year on the casino proposal at the ballot box, including new football fields, youth centers and bike paths.

Then it was Attorney General Coakley's turn. After suing Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua for campaign finance violations, Coakley closed the book on former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray's highly scrutinized relationship with former Chelsea Housing Authority Director Michael McLaughlin.

While authorities said he actively sought McLaughlin's support, Murray continued to maintain he knew nothing about McLaughlin's fundraising activities, but admitted that failed oversight led to his accepting $50,000 in illegally solicited contributions by McLaughlin and MassDOT highway administrator E. Bernard Plante.

Murray, now ensconced in his new, higher-paying job as CEO and president of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, agreed to massive civil penalties, including a $10,000 personal fine and $70,000 in committee fines and forfeited donations.

"If I knew in 2006 what I know today about McLaughlin, I would have never had any association with him at all," Murray said.

Though part of his settlement agreement calls for Murray to dissolve his political committee and abstain from political fundraising for two years, the Worcester pol's people insist the one-time mayor had no idea where Coakley's investigation would lead when he opted against running for governor in 2014 and then left politics altogether. Some think Murray got off easy. Just ask Tim Cahill.

While Murray's political career is over for now, Dan Cullinane's appears to be just beginning. Cullinane, the favorite to win now-Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry's Boston-based House seat, held a unity breakfast last Tuesday morning in Mattapan, and drew no shortage of party royalty to the American Legion on Blue Hill Ave. It was, after all, a slow, mid-week morning in August.

The Democratic nominee's guests included mayoral candidates, lieutenant governor candidates, House members, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, Coakley and Gov. Deval Patrick, who ended his capital hiatus for croissants and party organizing.

"I hope and I'm counting in this final round, in this general election, that you go to work for Dan because it's important not just that you see him but that we elect someone who sees you when he is in elected office and Dan will do just that," said Patrick, making his first public appearance in about a month after retiring from the State House for much of August.

Sen. Brian Joyce, a Milton Democrat, also served up kind words for Cullinane before introducing Coakley. "Everyone's waiting with baited breath to see what she does," Joyce said, goading Coakley who made no mention of her consideration of running for governor.

Coakley, Capuano and Republican Charles Baker are the three biggest names still hanging out there as undecided for 2014, their decisions keeping other dominoes further down the chain at bay for now.

Entergy's decision last week to shutter its Vermont Yankee plant put fresh wind in the sails of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station foes. Despite the company's resistance to drawing comparisons, Patrick turned heads when he said it's "unclear" whether the Plymouth plant, an energy system fixture, is necessary to meet the region's power needs.

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